Door Assistance System for a Vehicle

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a door assistance system ( 1 ) for a vehicle (F) for preventing damage to vehicle doors (T 1 -T 4 ) and/or vehicle opening panels (T 5 ) caused by external objects when vehicle doors (T 1 -T 4 ) and/or vehicle opening panels (T 5 ) are opened. Said system comprises: a calculation unit ( 7 ), which evaluates an environmental data model, detected by sensors, of the surroundings of the vehicle (F), in order to determine a space around the vehicle (F) that is free of external objects (H 1,  H 2,  O), and which calculates maximum possible open positions of the various vehicle doors (T 1 -T 4 ) and/or vehicle opening panels (T 5 ) of the vehicle (F) within the free space that has been determined; and a locking unit ( 8 ), which locks a vehicle door (T 1 -T 4 ) and/or vehicle opening panel (T 5 ) of the vehicle (F) when same is opened to the correspondingly calculated maximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door (T 1 -T 4 ) and/or vehicle opening panel (T 5 ) in order to prevent contact with an external object and/or to provide entry or exit assistance.

The invention relates to a door assistance system for a vehicle forpreventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panelscaused by external objects when vehicle doors and/or vehicle openingpanels are opened, and to facilitate entry and exit.

Conventional vehicles have several vehicle doors and vehicle openingpanels. Automobiles usually have two or four vehicle doors and a trunkpanel or tailgate. Most vehicles also have an engine compartment lid. Inmany cases, vehicles also have a sunroof on the top of the vehicle body.In conventional vehicles, which, by way of example, are parked inparking spaces, when a vehicle door or vehicle panel is opened it mayhappen that this hits an external object, particularly a vehicle parkedalongside, causing scratches or paint damage to one or both of thevehicles.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a device and amethod for preventing door damage to the vehicle doors and/or vehicleopening panels of the vehicle caused by external objects when thevehicle door and/or vehicle panel is/are opened.

This object is achieved according to the invention by a door assistancesystem with the features indicated in Claim 1.

According to this, the invention provides a door assistance system for avehicle for preventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicleopening panels caused by external objects when vehicle doors and/orvehicle opening panels are opened, having a calculation unit, whichevaluates an environmental data model, detected by sensors, of thesurroundings of the vehicle in order to determine a space around thevehicle that is free of external objects, and which calculates maximumopen positions of the various vehicle doors and/or vehicle openingpanels of the vehicle within the free space that has been determined,and a locking unit, which locks a vehicle door and/or vehicle openingpanel of the vehicle when same is opened to the corresponding calculatedmaximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door and/orvehicle opening panel in order to prevent contact with an externalobject and/or to provide entry and/or exit assistance.

The door assistance system according to the invention offers theadvantage that when a vehicle door or a vehicle opening panel is opened,it is reliably locked in a maximum permissible open position, so thatscratches or paint damage to the vehicle concerned or a vehiclepositioned alongside it are prevented. It is also advantageous that itis not necessarily required that the opening range of a vehicle door ora vehicle opening is monitored during opening with a sensor system. Thefree space around the vehicle or above the vehicle, the latter beingnecessary for opening the tailgate, for example, can be or is determinedat an earlier point in time, e.g. when passing a parking space orentering or approaching a garage or a carport. So, in the latter, forexample, the height can be determined with a forward- or backward-facingsensor system, which is necessary, for example, for the opening range ofthe tailgate.

The door assistance system according to the invention also offers theadvantage that the locked vehicle door can provide additional support toa person when entering or exiting.

In a possible embodiment of the door assistance system according to theinvention, the environmental data model comprises a rasterized map ofthe vehicle environment.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the environmental data model also has a height profileof the vehicle environment.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the environmental data model is calculated based onsensor data, generated by vehicle sensors of the vehicle or by externalsensors.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the vehicle sensors comprise laser scanners, radarsensors and/or vehicle cameras.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, a current environmental data model of the vehicleenvironment of the vehicle is temporarily stored in a first data memory,to which the calculation unit of the door assistance system has access.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the calculation unit has access to a second datamemory, in which vehicle data of the vehicle, particularly vehicledimensions of the vehicle body and/or dimensions of vehicle doors and/orvehicle opening panels of the vehicle, are stored.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the vehicle data of the vehicle stored in the seconddata memory are configurable for various vehicle types and/or vehiclevariants of the vehicle.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the calculation unit of the door assistance systemcalculates the maximum permissible open positions of the vehicle doorsand/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle as a function of aninstantaneous loading state of the vehicle detected by sensors.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the door assistance system is activated automaticallyupon entering a parking space or once the vehicle has stopped.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the door assistance system is deactivatedautomatically once the vehicle starts up or upon leaving a parkingfacility or parking space.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system accordingto the invention, the vehicle doors comprise several side doors of thevehicle and the vehicle opening panels comprise a trunk panel, atailgate, or an engine compartment lid, of the vehicle.

According to a further aspect, the invention also provides a vehicle,particularly a road vehicle, with a door assistance system forpreventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels ofthe vehicle caused by external objects when vehicle doors and/or vehicleopening panels are opened, wherein the door assistance system comprisesa calculation unit, which evaluates an environmental data model,detected by sensors, of the surroundings of the vehicle, in order todetermine a space around the vehicle that is free of external objects,and which calculates maximum permissible open positions for the variousvehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle within thefree space that has been determined, wherein the door assistance systemalso comprises a locking unit, which locks a vehicle door and/or vehicleopening panel of the vehicle when same is opened to the correspondinglycalculated maximum permissible open position of the respective vehicledoor and/or vehicle opening panel in order to prevent contact with anexternal object and/or to provide entry or exit assistance to a person.

In a possible embodiment of the vehicle according to the invention thevehicle is an automobile.

In a further possible embodiment of the vehicle according to theinvention the vehicle is a truck.

According to a further aspect, the invention provides a parking facilitywith a central control system, communicating via wireless interfaceswith door assistance systems of vehicles according to the first aspectof the invention, wherein the central control system also transmitssensor data generated by sensors of the parking facility for updatingthe respective environmental data model to the door assistance systemsof the vehicles located in the parking facility, wherein the doorassistance systems of the vehicles located in the parking facility takethe received sensor data of the parking facility into consideration whenupdating the respective environmental data model of the respectivevehicle.

According to a further aspect, the invention provides a method forpreventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panelscaused by external objects in a vehicle with the features indicated inClaim 15.

Accordingly, the invention provides a method for preventing door damageto vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels caused by externalobjects in a vehicle having the following steps:

determining a space around the vehicle that is free of external objectson the basis of a detected environmental data model and stored vehicledata of the vehicle;

calculating maximum permissible open positions of the various vehicledoors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle within the free spacethat has been determined and locking a vehicle door and/or vehicleopening panel of the vehicle when same is opened to the calculatedmaximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door and/orvehicle opening panel in order to prevent contact with an externalobject and/or to provide entry or exit assistance.

The invention also provides a driver assistance system for a vehiclewith a control unit for performing the method according to theinvention.

In the following, possible embodiments of the door assistance systemaccording to the invention together with the method according to theinvention for preventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicleopening panels caused by external objects, are explained in more detailwith reference to the attached figures.

These show as follows:

FIG. 1 a block diagram representing an exemplary embodiment of a doorassistance system according to the invention for a vehicle;

FIG. 2 a schematic representation to explain the functioning of the doorassistance system according to the invention;

FIG. 3 a flow chart explaining an exemplary embodiment of a methodaccording to the invention to prevent door damage to vehicle doorsand/or vehicle opening panels;

FIGS. 4, 5, 6 schematic representations to explain the functioning ofthe door assistance system according to the invention and of the methodaccording to the invention.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, a door assistance system 1 according to theinvention in the exemplary embodiment represented comprises variouscomponents. In the exemplary embodiment represented the door assistancesystem 1 has various vehicle sensors 2, 3, 4. The number and type ofvehicle sensors for detecting the vehicle environment may vary. In apossible embodiment, the door assistance system 1 comprises at least onelaser scanner 2, at least one radar sensor 3 and one or more vehiclecameras 4. The vehicle sensors 2, 3, 4 provide sensor data, which areevaluated by an evaluation unit 5 to determine an environmental datamodel. In a possible embodiment, the detected environmental data modelof the vehicle environment of the vehicle F can be temporarily stored ina first data memory 6 provided for this purpose. The door assistancesystem 1 comprises a calculation unit 7, which is able to access theenvironmental data model of the vehicle environment of the vehicle Ftemporarily stored in the first data memory 6. The calculation unit 7evaluates the environmental data model of the vehicle environment of thevehicle detected by sensors in order to determine a space around thevehicle F that is free of external objects and calculates maximumpermissible open positions of the various vehicle doors and/or vehicleopening panels of the vehicle F within the free space that has beendetermined. The door assistance system 1 also has one or more lockingunits 8, which each lock a respective vehicle door and/or vehicleopening panel of the vehicle F when same is opened to the correspondingmaximum permissible open position of the respective vehicle door and/orvehicle opening panel calculated by the calculation unit 7 in order toprevent contact with an external object.

In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the calculation unit 7 alsohas access to a second data memory 9, in which vehicle data of thevehicle F, particularly vehicle dimensions of the vehicle body and/ordimensions of vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicleF, are stored. In a possible embodiment, the vehicle data of the vehicleF stored in the second data memory 9 are configurable for variousvehicle types and/or vehicle variants of the vehicle F. In a possibleembodiment, the calculation unit 7 of the door assistance system 1calculates the maximum permissible open positions of the vehicle doorsand/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle F taking the vehicle dataof the vehicle into consideration, particularly the stored vehicledimensions of the vehicle body and/or the stored dimensions of thevehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle F. In afurther possible embodiment of the door assistance system 1 according tothe invention, the calculation unit 7 of the door assistance system 1calculates the maximum permissible open positions of the vehicle doorsand/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle F as a function of aninstantaneous loading state of the vehicle F detected by sensors.

Further embodiments of the door assistance system 1 represented in FIG.1 are possible. In a possible embodiment, the door assistance system 1is activated automatically upon entering a parking facility or parkingin a parking space or once the vehicle F has stopped. In thisembodiment, the door assistance system 1 according to the invention isdeactivated during normal travel of the vehicle F, since it is notexpected that vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels will be openedwhile the vehicle is travelling. In this way, resources, particularlycomputing resources, can be saved. In a further possible embodiment ofthe door assistance system 1 according to the invention, the doorassistance system 1 is automatically deactivated once the vehicle Fstarts up or leaves a parking facility or parking space. The doorassistance system 1 according to the invention is suitable for lockingvarious vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle F ata calculated maximum permissible open position. These vehicle doorscomprise particularly the side doors of an automobile and vehicleopening panels, particularly a trunk panel, a tailgate or an enginecompartment lid, of the vehicle F.

In a further possible embodiment of the door assistance system 1according to the invention, the door assistance system 1 communicatesvia a transceiver of the vehicle F with an external control system, byway of example a central control system of a parking facility. In such aparking facility, a central control system of the parking facility canreceive sensor data from sensors installed in the parking facility.These sensor data are transmitted via a wireless interface of the doorassistance system 1 to the evaluation unit 5, which evaluates thereceived sensor data for updating the respective environmental datamodel of the vehicle F concerned. In this embodiment, therefore, theevaluation unit 5 of the door assistance system 1 can not only accesssensor data of vehicle sensors 2, 3, 4, but can also take intoconsideration sensor data provided by external sensors of the parkingfacility. This allows refinement of the current environmental data modelof the vehicle environment of the vehicle F. In a possible embodiment,the door assistance system 1 represented in FIG. 1 forms part of adriver assistance system of the vehicle F.

FIG. 2 serves to illustrate the functioning of the door assistancesystem 1 according to the invention. The example represented in FIG. 2relates to an automobile with four side doors T1, T2, T3, T4. Thevehicle F is parked between two obstacles H1, H2, which may similarly beparked vehicles, by way of example. Once the vehicle F has driven intothe parking space between the two obstacles H1, H2, in a possibleembodiment the door assistance system 1 according to the invention isautomatically activated. Based on the current environmental data modelof the vehicle environment of the vehicle F detected by sensors, thecalculation unit 7 of the door assistance system 1 calculates a freespace around the vehicle F and then calculates permissible openpositions, particularly opening angles, of the various vehicle doors T1,T2, T3, T4 within the free space that has been determined.

If, by way of example, the vehicle driver of the vehicle F opens thedriver's door T1, the locking unit 8 of the door assistance system 1locks the vehicle door T1 concerned when same is opened to thecorrespondingly calculated maximum permissible open position of thevehicle door T1 in order to prevent contact with an external object orobstacle H1. This prevents door T1, when it is opened, striking obstacleH1 and, by way of example, causing paint damage or scratches on vehicleF or a vehicle H1 parked alongside. As can be seen from FIG. 2, theenvironmental data model in a possible embodiment relates to arasterized map or a data grid. The resolution of the environmental datamodel can vary. In a possible embodiment, the resolution of the vehicleenvironment can be approximately 1 cm. The latched environmental datamodel represented schematically in FIG. 2 is determined by theevaluation unit 5 based on the sensor data and temporarily stored in thedata memory 6 of the door assistance system 1. The calculation unit 7evaluates the temporarily stored environmental data model and calculatesmaximum permissible positions or opening angles of the various vehicledoors T1 to T4. In a possible embodiment, to this end the calculationunit 7 also takes the vehicle data of the vehicle F stored in the seconddata memory 9 into consideration, particularly vehicle dimensions of thevehicle body, dimensions of the vehicle doors and of the vehicle openingpanels of the vehicle F concerned.

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a possible embodiment of the method accordingto the invention for preventing door damage to vehicle doors and/orvehicle opening panels caused by external objects on a vehicle F.

In a first step S1, a space around the vehicle F that is free ofexternal objects O is determined on the basis of a detectedenvironmental data model and stored vehicle data of the vehicle F. Then,in a further step S2, maximum permissible open positions of the variousvehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle F within thefree space that has been determined are calculated. In a further stepS3, a vehicle door and/or vehicle opening panel of the vehicle when sameis opened is locked at the calculated maximum permissible open positionof the respective vehicle door and/or vehicle opening panel in order toprevent contact with an external object O. The method represented inFIG. 3 can be performed by a control program on a microprocessor of thedriver assistance system.

FIG. 4 shows a simple application example of the door assistance system1 according to the invention. In the application example represented, avehicle F is located in a garage G and a person opens a trunk panel ortailgate T5 of the vehicle, in order to load or unload items. In apossible embodiment, a stereo camera acting as vehicle sensor can supplycamera images from which the ceiling height of the garage G iscalculated, wherein this information is fed into the environmental datamodel. In a possible embodiment, the environmental data model alsocomprises ground clearance information and/or height information or aheight profile. In this embodiment, the stored environmental data modelhas further layers, in which the height information data or the groundclearance information data are stored. This embodiment offers theadvantage that, by way of example, in a parking facility the driver nolonger has to be aware of whether the opened tailgate or trunk panelwill strike the ceiling, since the tailgate or the trunk panel will belocked in due time by the door assistance system 1 according to theinvention before it hits the ceiling of the parking garage. This is, byway of example, an advantage in parking facilities of furniture storesor similar, since the user no longer has to hold the tailgate or thetrunk panel steady during loading. The function representedschematically in FIG. 4 is of particular advantage for, by way ofexample, SUVs, the trunk panels of which can easily strike the ceilingof parking garages.

FIG. 5 is a schematic representation of a further application of thedoor assistance system 1 according to the invention. In the examplerepresented, the vehicle F is parked on uneven ground. Here the doorassistance system 1 has an environmental data model of the vehicleenvironment of the vehicle, which includes a height profile of thevehicle environment detected by sensors. When a side door is opened,this allows the door to be prevented from striking an uneven surface, byway of example a curbstone or similar.

FIG. 6, again schematically, represents the functioning of the doorassistance system 1 according to the invention. When opening a door T,the door assistance system 1 according to the invention prevents door Tstriking an external object O, by locking door T at the calculatedmaximum permissible open position. The door T has a support S on theinside, which can be used by a person as entry or exist assistance.Entry or exit assistance can also be provided by the door assistancesystem 1 according to the invention, if the vehicle F is located on openground and there are no external objects present in the environment ofthe vehicle. In a possible embodiment of the door assistance system 1according to the invention, the open position of the door T iscalculated so that the support S of the door provides the most effectivesupport for an entering or exiting person, by way of example an elderlyperson. The door assistance system 1 in this embodiment offers activeentry or exit assistance for a person, particularly elderly persons.

1. A door assistance system (1) for a vehicle (F) for preventing doordamage to vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5)caused by external objects when vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicleopening panels (T5) are opened, having: a calculation unit (7), whichevaluates an environmental data model, detected by sensors, of thesurroundings of the vehicle (F), in order to determine a space aroundthe vehicle (F) that is free from external objects (H1, H2, O) and whichcalculates maximum permissible open positions of the various vehicledoors (Tl-T4) and/or vehicle opening panels (T5) of the vehicle (F)within the free space that has been determined and having a locking unit(8), which locks a vehicle door (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panel(T5) of the vehicle (F) when same is opened to the correspondinglycalculated maximum permissible open position of the respective vehicledoor (T1-T4) and/or vehicle opening panel (T5) in order to preventcontact with an external object and/or to provide entry or exitassistance.
 2. The door assistance system according to claim 1, whereinthe environmental data model comprises a rasterized map of the vehicleenvironment and/or a height profile of the vehicle environment.
 3. Thedoor assistance system according to claim 1, wherein the environmentaldata model is calculated based on sensor data, generated by vehiclesensors (2, 3, 4) of the vehicle (F) or by external sensors.
 4. The doorassistance system according to claim 3, wherein the vehicle sensors (2,3, 4) comprise laser scanners, radar sensors and/or vehicle cameras. 5.The door assistance system according to claim 1, wherein a currentenvironmental data model of the vehicle environment of the vehicle (F)is temporarily stored in a data memory (6), to which the calculationunit (7) of the door assistance system (1) has access.
 6. The doorassistance system according to claim 5, wherein the calculation unit (7)has access to a second data memory (9), in which the vehicle data of thevehicle (F), particularly vehicle dimensions of the vehicle body and/ordimensions of vehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle(F), are stored.
 7. The door assistance system according to claim 6,wherein the vehicle data of the vehicle (F) stored in the second datamemory (9) are configurable for various vehicle types and/or vehiclevariants of the vehicle (F).
 8. The door assistance system according toclaim 1, wherein the calculation unit (7) calculates the maximumpermissible open positions of the vehicle doors (T1-T4) and/or vehicleopening panels (T5) of the vehicle (F) as a function of an instantaneousloading state of the vehicle (F) detected by sensors.
 9. The doorassistance system according to claim 1, wherein the door assistancesystem (1) is activated automatically upon entering a parking space oronce the vehicle (F) has stopped.
 10. The door assistance systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the door assistance system (1) isautomatically deactivated once the vehicle (F) starts up or upon leavinga parking facility or parking space.
 11. The door assistance systemaccording to claim 1, wherein the vehicle doors (T1-T4) comprise severalside doors of the vehicle (F) and the vehicle opening panels (T5)comprise a tailgate, a trunk panel, or an engine compartment lid of thevehicle (F).
 12. A road vehicle, having a door assistance system (1)according to claim
 1. 13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein thevehicle (F) is an automobile or a truck.
 14. A parking facility with acentral control system, which communicates via wireless interfaces witha door assistance system of a vehicle according to claim 1, and alsotransmits sensor data generated by sensors of the parking facility forupdating the environmental data model to the door assistance system (1)of the vehicle (F) located in the parking facility, wherein the doorassistance system (1) of the vehicle (F) located in the parking facilitytakes into consideration the received sensor data of the parkingfacility when updating the environmental data model of the vehicle (F).15. A method for preventing door damage to vehicle doors and/or vehicleopening panels caused by external objects in a vehicle (F) having thefollowing steps: (a) determining (S1) a space around the vehicle (F)that is free of external objects on the basis of a detectedenvironmental data model and stored vehicle data of the vehicle; (b)calculating (S2) maximum permissible open positions of the variousvehicle doors and/or vehicle opening panels of the vehicle (F) withinthe free space that has been determined; and (c) locking (S3) a vehicledoor and/or vehicle opening panel of the vehicle when same is opened tothe calculated maximum permissible open position of the respectivevehicle door and/or vehicle opening panel in order to prevent contactwith an external object and exit assistance.
 16. A driver assistancesystem for a vehicle with a control unit for performing the methodaccording to claim 15.